Armored vehicles from 5 countries are headed to Ukraine, but there's still some big items left on Kyiv's heavy armor wish list
Jake Epstein
- Five countries have said they'll send armored vehicles to Ukraine.
- The US, Germany, France, and Sweden will provide armored fighting vehicles, and the UK will send tanks.
Western security assistance to Ukraine as it fights Russia has ramped up in the first few weeks of the new year, with five different countries announcing that they intend to provide Kyiv with armored combat vehicles.
On Thursday, Sweden, an aspiring NATO member, became the latest country to announce that it will send much-sought-after military hardware, pledging to transfer Combat Vehicle 90 infantry fighting vehicles to Ukraine as part of its largest aid package so far.
Sweden has joined the US, Germany, and France, which have said that they will send Bradley, Marder, and AMX-10 RC armored vehicles, respectively. And the UK has said that it will send a squadron of Challenger 2 tanks to Ukraine, making it the first Western country to send Western-made tanks to Kyiv.
While these much-sought-after weapons will give Ukraine a significant boost in firepower and ground combat capability, a handful of big-ticket items on Kyiv's heavy armor wish list continue to be kept out of military aid packages, such as the German-made Leopard tank and the American M1 Abrams tank.
NATO countries have pressed Germany to approve sending its tanks to Ukraine, but Berlin has been unwilling to sign off on any transfers, saying that the US would also need to send its own tanks. However, Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said on Thursday that his country may eventually go rogue and send its Leopard tanks to Kyiv without German approval.
Ukraine's push to secure tanks and fighting vehicles comes as Russia's unprovoked invasion nears its one-year mark, with fighting heavily concentrated in the eastern Donbas region. Heavy armor could help Kyiv make advances in what has turned into a bloody and grinding affair.
Take a look at the five pieces of heavy armor that Western countries are sending to Ukraine.
AMX-10 RC
France was the first country to announce that it would send Western-made armored vehicles to Ukraine, opening the door to additional transfers. French President Emmanuel Macron told Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in early January that Paris would transfer the AMX-10 RC to Kyiv.
The AMX-10 RC is a French-made armored combat and reconnaissance vehicle. It was first designed in the early 1970s and has decades of combat experience in places like the Middle East and Afghanistan.
Capable of traveling at up to 50 mph, the vehicle is armed with a 105 mm cannon and armor to protect it against small arms fire and shrapnel.
M2 Bradley
Soon after France's announcement, the US followed suit with its own pledge to send Western armor to Ukraine.
The White House announced it would send 50 M2A2 Bradley fighting vehicles — capable of transporting troops, conducting reconnaissance missions, and providing fire support.
Bradley fighters are armed with a 25 mm M242 Bushmaster chain gun and a 7.62 mm M240C machine gun, as well as a Tube-Launched, Optically-Tracked, Wire-Guided (TOW) missile system.
The weapon was designed by BAE Systems and has been in use since the early 1980s. It played a prominent role in both the Gulf and Iraq wars.
Marder
The US decision to transfer Bradleys to Ukraine was presented alongside Germany, which said it would provide Kyiv with Marder infantry fighting vehicles.
This weapon was designed in the 1960s and has seen on-the-ground experience in Afghanistan and Kosovo. It is equipped with a 20 mm automatic cannon and anti-tank missiles, and is defended by steel armor.
The Marder can travel up to 40 mph and can carry a crew of three and six fully-equipped infantry soldiers, according to Forbes.
Challenger 2
Perhaps the most significant of the heavy armor going to Ukraine is the Challenger 2 — the UK's main battle tank.
Defense chief Ben Wallace announced on Monday that the UK would send a squadron of the tanks as part of the country's "most significant package of combat power" for Ukraine so far.
First introduced in the 1990s, the Challenger 2 was built to replace its predecessor, the Challenger 1, and has seen combat experience in Iraq and Eastern Europe.
A crew of four can operate the weapon, which is armed with a L30A1 120 mm rifled gun, a chain gun, and a machine gun. On roads, it has a range of 340 miles and can travel at speeds of up to 37 mph; off-roads, this drops to 160 miles and 25 mph, respectively.
Combat Vehicle 90
Sweden's government announced on Thursday that it would send an undisclosed number of Combat Vehicle 90 (CV90) fighting vehicles with ammunition to Ukraine as part of its biggest military aid package to the country.
The CV90 is an infantry fighting vehicle built by BAE systems in the early 1990s. It has seen combat experience in Afghanistan and Liberia. Sweden is one of several European countries that has the weapon in its arsenal.
Two users can operate the vehicle's cannon, the primary armament accompanying its multiple grenade launchers and machine gun.
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